On June 2nd Nicola Sturgeon revealed plans to multiply by a factor of almost 5 the amount of public money being spent on preparing trainee teachers for the Catholic Teaching Certificate (CTC), a requirement for teaching in Catholic schools but for no other purpose. Although the absolute sums involved are not large, this is public money, raised through taxation levied on a population of which now only one in eight is Catholic, while the majority has no religious affiliation whatsoever. (more…)

This week saw the publication of figures concerning the religiosity of Europe’s young people. These figures published in a report prepared by Stephen Bullivant for the European Council of [Catholic] Bishops are based on data from the European Social Survey 2014-16 and show that in the UK a majority of the adult population, and 70% of young people (16-29), identify as having no religion. (more…)

The Scottish Secular Society welcomes the announcement yesterday (7th November) by the First Minister of a pardon for thousands of gay and bisexual men who were subject to legal prosecution prior to 1981 and subsequently due to use of outdated laws. (more…)

Readers of the National will doubtless be aware of the highly disturbing allegations of violence and brutality against children who had been placed in the ‘care’ of nuns at Smyllum Park, Lanark. (more…)